My favorite holiday  is Thanksgiving. I love the meaning, I love it doesn’t involve giving or getting any material gifts, I love how families and friends gather to cook and break the bread to give thanks. Did I mentioned that I love the food, too? In Mexico we do not celebrate this holiday but it is one tradition that I want to adopt and make mine.

Today, I want to make a list of all the things that I’m grateful for to share with you and I want to encourage you to do the same. There are so many little things (and big too!) that are part of our daily life and we take them for granted. It is well known that being grateful has tremendously benefits for your physical and psychological health.  If nothing else, making this list will put a smile in your face. Trust me. Get pen and paper.

I am grateful for:

1. My body. For being a perfect machine. For speaking loud and clear when you need me to listen.

2. My city. Los Angeles you’ve given me so much. I feel that you’ve been waiting for me and it has felt like home since the very first minute I put a step on you.

3. My children. For choosing me.

4. My partner. For teaching me so much about myself. For all the insights and learnings.

5. Flowers. For giving me joy and happiness. For making my desk and bedside table pretty. For reminding me of the beauty of the world.

6. Words. For letting me use them to express myself. For being my passion since I was a little girl.

7. Books. For transporting me to different lives, times, and countries. For letting them find myself through them. For being my escape.

8. Tears. For cleansing my soul.

9. Friends. Old and new (and newish) For being there for me. For making me laugh. For being a shoulder to cry on, critics, proofreaders, and biggest fans.

10. Smiles from strangers. For make me believe and giving me hope.

11. My parents. For loving me, for making me. For being the best grandparents for my kids.

12. Birds. For making me smile whenever you land near me.

13. Tea. For making me not to miss coffee. For warming me up.

14. Serendipitous events. For making me believe that there’s a plan.

15. Yoga. For centering me and for teaching me so much about life and about me.

16. My nieces and nephews. For existing and for building memories with my children. For giving me a little taste of what motherhood would feel like.

17. My brothers. For giving me nieces and nephews.

19. Watching the ocean everyday. Every day.

20.  My house. Because I have a place to call home.

21.  Dreams. For coming true but specially for not coming true and making me eager to work harder to achieve them.

22. Memories. For making me sigh (and laugh out loud).

23. Almond butter. Just, thank you.

24. Silence. For feeding me.

23. University of Santa Monica. For opening me up and changing my life.

24. This blog, and all the opportunities that I’ve had and will have to connect with other people through it.

25. You. Yes, you. For existing at the same time as me and for reading this. I am grateful for you.

♥,

Marcela

P.S. Don’t believe me? Here are a some articles about the benefits of being grateful:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#1523dfae6800

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/more-mortal/200911/the-benefits-being-thankful

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/21/gratitude-healthy-benefits_n_2147182.html